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140th out of 921 books
—
867 voters
Break No Bones (Temperance Brennan #9)
by
Kathy Reichs
Following the tremendous success of "Cross Bones, "Kathy Reichs explores another high-profile topic in Break No Bones -- a case that lands forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in the middle of a gruesome international scheme. Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching a lackluster archaeology field school in the ruins of...more
Hardcover, 337 pages
Published
July 11th 2006
by Scribner
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I don't know if maybe I'm getting over this style, maybe too much Law and Order watching, but this was a little boring for me.
Yeah, it had all the classic KR stuff...bones, mystery, more bones, more mystery.
But it was so predictable! I think that's the main reason I was bored with it. Tempe's in trouble again, but now she has Ryan AND Pete to help her out, which is just annoying as hell. And throw in some 'colleague' never mentioned before, and there you go, another KRs book.
I hate when authors...more
Yeah, it had all the classic KR stuff...bones, mystery, more bones, more mystery.
But it was so predictable! I think that's the main reason I was bored with it. Tempe's in trouble again, but now she has Ryan AND Pete to help her out, which is just annoying as hell. And throw in some 'colleague' never mentioned before, and there you go, another KRs book.
I hate when authors...more
7 likes · like · see review
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If you like mysteries and forenics, then this is the book for you. It's written by a Canadian forensic anthropologist from Montreal. Kathy Reichs works for the Chief Examiner in North Carolina and Laboratoire de sciences et de Medecine Legale in Quebec.
This is her ninth book about a forensic anthropologist who is always getting too emotionally involved in strange murder cases. It's not too heavy on the science and tech language and it is fairly engaging. The story moves along quickly and will k...more
This is her ninth book about a forensic anthropologist who is always getting too emotionally involved in strange murder cases. It's not too heavy on the science and tech language and it is fairly engaging. The story moves along quickly and will k...more
Dr Temperance Brennan�s work brings her and her archaeological students to an ancient Native American burial ground near Charleston. While there they uncover a decomposing body in a shallow grave.
Why was this body buried in a clandestine grave? And what does the unusual hairline fracture and condition of the sixth vertebrae signify? What began as a simple project turns into a heated homicide investigation when three more bodies are found. While investigating, Tempe crosses paths with her estrang...more
Why was this body buried in a clandestine grave? And what does the unusual hairline fracture and condition of the sixth vertebrae signify? What began as a simple project turns into a heated homicide investigation when three more bodies are found. While investigating, Tempe crosses paths with her estrang...more
3 likes · like · see review
Pretty good. Private human angle as well as the mystery of the bones... Very different from the TV series. Better in that the good doctor is much more believeable as a person.
Temperance Brennan, anthropologist with the Univ of N Carolina at Charlotte on a summer dig at Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, S Carolina finds a newer body (one to five years) buried along with archaelogical bones of the Sewee Indians. Helping out her friend, Emma Rousseau of the Charleston County Coroner's...more
Temperance Brennan, anthropologist with the Univ of N Carolina at Charlotte on a summer dig at Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, S Carolina finds a newer body (one to five years) buried along with archaelogical bones of the Sewee Indians. Helping out her friend, Emma Rousseau of the Charleston County Coroner's...more
This is the first of this series that I have read and I have to say while it was a decent enough read it had some elements that I despise in books.
First, I hate the "Murder, She Wrote" syndrome that is rampant in many television programs today. What do I mean by that? I mean that a hero or heroine ends up in an investigation that the police would never permit, much less cooperate with. For example, when you watch an episode of CSI where the technicians participate in the interrogations-- you've...more
First, I hate the "Murder, She Wrote" syndrome that is rampant in many television programs today. What do I mean by that? I mean that a hero or heroine ends up in an investigation that the police would never permit, much less cooperate with. For example, when you watch an episode of CSI where the technicians participate in the interrogations-- you've...more
Mar 12, 2013
Melinda Seyler
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Melinda by:
newleaph@gmail.com
Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs
I've gotten a bit out of order here. I did read another book before
this one, but darned if I can remember the name or author! The photo
was taken in China, in the hotel room. Anyway, I was reading and
dumping books as I travelled and that's what happened to the one
before this.
I am not a big fan of Kathy Reichs. The books always have a bit too
much to do with Temperance Brennan's love life and how brilliant she
is. What is it about some authors/ protagonists that turns u...more
Break No Bones brings Tempe back to her native Carolina. She's working a teaching dig in the lowlands when she digs up an unexpected surprise. A dead body. And not an ancient burial either, this one is quite recent. The local coroner and an old friend of Tempe's has fallen ill recently so as a favor, Tempe takes on the job of trying to identify the remains she uncovered at the dig.
Enter Pete, the estranged husband. Hired by a client to see if an clinic they donate to is cooking the books, he als...more
Enter Pete, the estranged husband. Hired by a client to see if an clinic they donate to is cooking the books, he als...more
Kathy Reichs can spin a good yarn, and sometimes I learn things I didn't know. She is a second tier among my favorite writers, however, (and I am applying this to almost everything she has written, so if I see an exceptional book, I'll write another review; otherwise, this covers them, because a good friend keeps giving them to me, and when they are free, I read them anyway).
Flaw #1: The science lecture. When I read the obvious other writer in this category, P. Cornwell, I feel as if I have inad...more
Flaw #1: The science lecture. When I read the obvious other writer in this category, P. Cornwell, I feel as if I have inad...more
Temperance ("Tempe) Brennan finds herself in Charleston, South Carolina, staying at a friend's vacation house on the water, teaching a field studies class, when among the ancient remains the students dig up a more modern corpse.
Tempe calls upon the local coroner, Emma Rousseau, a longtime friend but one she has not seen in some time. When she learns that Emma is very sick, she offers to step in and investigate the case.
It isn't long before there is another corpse. By this time Tempe's "estranged...more
Tempe calls upon the local coroner, Emma Rousseau, a longtime friend but one she has not seen in some time. When she learns that Emma is very sick, she offers to step in and investigate the case.
It isn't long before there is another corpse. By this time Tempe's "estranged...more
Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is spending two weeks in on Dewees, a barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina, leading a student excavation of a Native American burial site. When a recently deceased body is found, Tempe begins working with her friend, Emma Rousseau, coroner at the Charleston County Coroner's Office to try to identify the victim, Tempe becomes more involved in the investigation than she initially intended to when she learns Emma is ill and unable to work the case. As...more
To recap my prologue in the review I wrote for Bones to Ashes: I am a fan of the series Bones who has decided to try and read the Temperance Brennan novels and see if I enjoy them as much as the show.
It's just not working out as well as I'd hoped.
This book isn't as bad as the other one I had read (the aforementioned Bones to Ashes). These stories all have the same MacGuffin: a mysterious dead body - more specifically: the bones. The mystery of the deceased is always the good part of the story te...more
It's just not working out as well as I'd hoped.
This book isn't as bad as the other one I had read (the aforementioned Bones to Ashes). These stories all have the same MacGuffin: a mysterious dead body - more specifically: the bones. The mystery of the deceased is always the good part of the story te...more
I've read two of these books now and I think that's about it for me. The writing is poor to mediocre, full of cliches and awkward phrasing, the characters are mostly walking stereotypes of themselves, and the descriptions are often dripping with unnecessary emotion. Too much telling, not enough showing, as every writing teacher I've ever had would say. I wasn't looking for literature, just something to tide me over in waiting rooms and on planes, but I found myself rolling my eyes and actually c...more
Great story, but I struggled with the language
Once you get behind the strongly American version of English and the Reichs style of short-sentenced rhetoric, there is a good story lurking in this book.
Normally, I can understand those small differences between English English and American English, but there were just too many times, whilst reading this book, that I just had no idea what was meant!
The narrative is also littered with three-letter acronyms, some explained, some not; and unfamiliar wo...more
Once you get behind the strongly American version of English and the Reichs style of short-sentenced rhetoric, there is a good story lurking in this book.
Normally, I can understand those small differences between English English and American English, but there were just too many times, whilst reading this book, that I just had no idea what was meant!
The narrative is also littered with three-letter acronyms, some explained, some not; and unfamiliar wo...more
Good read. Less medical detail than some of her previous titles, but surely enough for the reader to be able to see the clues and to follow the forensics. Story line came across as one story instead of multiples to tie together at the end. A few incidents seemed a little contrived to help the plot along.
Brennan's personal life gets a little complicated when both of her significant others end up in the same house. Amusing interplay between the guys for a while lent a lighter tone to parts of the...more
Brennan's personal life gets a little complicated when both of her significant others end up in the same house. Amusing interplay between the guys for a while lent a lighter tone to parts of the...more
If you look at other books I've rated, I'm not a harsh critic...so why only two stars? I am the kind of person who must finish a book if I've started it, whether I like it or not. Because sometimes if you wait around awhile, it finally gets interesting.
In this book was into at least chapter 9 before I started getting interested. I would actually skim through the narrative (written in 1st person from Tempe's point of view) to get to some dialouge.
I had trouble getting emotionally invested in th...more
In this book was into at least chapter 9 before I started getting interested. I would actually skim through the narrative (written in 1st person from Tempe's point of view) to get to some dialouge.
I had trouble getting emotionally invested in th...more
Another audio book, this one read by Barbara Rosenblat.
Halfway through, I was waiting for the story to be more about the bodies found and less about Temperance Brennan and her estranged husband Pete. Pete continued to be a problem for me throughout the story and I found his sub-plot superfluous to the mystery contained in the book. (I found treatment of the aftermath of Pete's -- (SPOILER) incident -- as too terse to make me believe Tempe's emotional progression as far as he was concerned. But t...more
Halfway through, I was waiting for the story to be more about the bodies found and less about Temperance Brennan and her estranged husband Pete. Pete continued to be a problem for me throughout the story and I found his sub-plot superfluous to the mystery contained in the book. (I found treatment of the aftermath of Pete's -- (SPOILER) incident -- as too terse to make me believe Tempe's emotional progression as far as he was concerned. But t...more
I found out that this series is the inspiration for the TV show Bones so I thought that it might be a fun read. I am not a huge Bones fanatic, but I do find it entertaining every now and then. The book, to be honest, bored me. What I like about the Bones TV show is that Dr. Brennan has this antisocial way about her - she doesn't really know how to interact with living people, and yet she still has empathy and she does care. That's the most endearing part about that character. In the book she's j...more
Break No Bones is my second exposure to Reichs' Temperance Brennan series and one that continued to intrigue and satisfy. Another easy read, good for a long afternoon or evening curled up in your favorite chair or other reading place.
Temperance steps in to oversee a college in-field archeology dig on one of South Carolina's barrier islands. Objective: to prove or disprove whether there are historical Native American remains on the island. The grisly fun begins when students dig up a recent addi...more
Temperance steps in to oversee a college in-field archeology dig on one of South Carolina's barrier islands. Objective: to prove or disprove whether there are historical Native American remains on the island. The grisly fun begins when students dig up a recent addi...more
Feb 17, 2011
Sarah (Workaday Reads)
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2010,
audiobook
My lastest audio book in the car was Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs. The main character was the inspiration for the Fox tv show Bones. I love the show, so I was prepared to love the books.
I hate the book. The only thing it has in common with the show is the character name and field of occupation.
The book has a lot of extraneous, rambling information that contributes nothing to the story. It starts out very slow, and doesn't get into the story very quickly. I listened to several chapters while tr...more
I hate the book. The only thing it has in common with the show is the character name and field of occupation.
The book has a lot of extraneous, rambling information that contributes nothing to the story. It starts out very slow, and doesn't get into the story very quickly. I listened to several chapters while tr...more
Two stars means "it was OK" and that's what I thought about this book.
Unfortunately I kept comparing it to the TV show, which I like very much, and they aren't really very much alike. Kathy Reichs (author) is executive producer of the TV show so I'm sure the show being based on the books but not much like them is totally intentional.
The main character has the same name in the books and on the show, Temperance Brennon, but she does not have the nickname, "Bones", in the book. They both have the...more
Unfortunately I kept comparing it to the TV show, which I like very much, and they aren't really very much alike. Kathy Reichs (author) is executive producer of the TV show so I'm sure the show being based on the books but not much like them is totally intentional.
The main character has the same name in the books and on the show, Temperance Brennon, but she does not have the nickname, "Bones", in the book. They both have the...more
I like the older and wiser Tempe much more than her youthful TV counterpart, Bones. She is engaged with the world, with her grown up daughter and her endearing but unfaithful ex-husband, and with her tentative new relationship with a Montreal detective. Kathy Reichs kept the mystery cracking along while still giving plenty of time to Tempe's personal life and her struggle to put aside the affection she still feels for her husband despite the end of their marriage. The characters were interesting...more
I have loved Kathy Reichs' Tempe Brennan series for years. Great character, intriguing mysteries, and interesting forensic anthropological facts. This time, however, the story fell flat. There were places in which I *gasp* skimmed! What happened to the plot? It just sort of plodded along. The few times it began to twist and turn, I found myself so entangled in medical terminology that I lost the suspense. As for Tempe... almost nothing happened to her. Well, there was the sick friend angle, but...more
Good read. Less medical detail than some of her previous titles, but surely enough for the reader to be able to see the clues and to follow the forensics. Story line came across as one story instead of multiples to tie together at the end. A lot cleaner read than others of this genre which I've really appreciated.
Brennan's personal life gets a little complicated when both of her significant others end up in the same house. That was really weird to me. Amusing interplay between the guys for a whi...more
Brennan's personal life gets a little complicated when both of her significant others end up in the same house. That was really weird to me. Amusing interplay between the guys for a whi...more
My first Kathy Reichs book - review to follow.
Not bad - but for low maintenance/wise cracking/semi loner female detectives, I really prefer Kinsey Millhone.
Not bad - but for low maintenance/wise cracking/semi loner female detectives, I really prefer Kinsey Millhone.
2 likes · like · see review
In order to jump right back on the horse and into the saddle, I started Break No Bones. The novel is set in South Carolina's low country and in the city of Charleston. A southern novel, so I was destined to like it from the beginning. While conducting a student dig on an outlying island, Tempe discovers a newly buried body among the ancient bones of the Indian burial site. Tempe's friend Emma is the coroner in Charleston, so Tempe is asked to help with the investigation despite being out of her...more
I enjoy reading the Temperance Brennan Series. A fun easy read.
9th book in the Temperance Brennan Series. Brennan and her students are working on a site of prehistoric graves on Dewees Island, South Carolina (a barrier island), when a decomposing body is uncovered in a shallow grave off a lonely beach. Brennan is then called upon to discover what is happening when other bodies begin showing up all around the Charleston area. The story also features a romantic subplot, where Brennan must choose b...more
9th book in the Temperance Brennan Series. Brennan and her students are working on a site of prehistoric graves on Dewees Island, South Carolina (a barrier island), when a decomposing body is uncovered in a shallow grave off a lonely beach. Brennan is then called upon to discover what is happening when other bodies begin showing up all around the Charleston area. The story also features a romantic subplot, where Brennan must choose b...more
Break No Bones is a mystery set in Charleston, South Carolina.
Forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, is teaching a group of students and finds a fresh corpse among ancient bones during a dig. At the request of the local coroner, Dr. Brennan assists with the investigation and, before long, more bodies turn up. Dr. Brennan must piece together the clues to uncover the mystery, and protect herself from those who wish to stop her uncovering too much.
At the same time, Dr. Brennan must handle a d...more
Forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, is teaching a group of students and finds a fresh corpse among ancient bones during a dig. At the request of the local coroner, Dr. Brennan assists with the investigation and, before long, more bodies turn up. Dr. Brennan must piece together the clues to uncover the mystery, and protect herself from those who wish to stop her uncovering too much.
At the same time, Dr. Brennan must handle a d...more
Hmmm - I found the plot of this book too predictable; perhaps it is because I have watched/read crime mysteries my entire adult life.
What is beginning to bother me more and more as I go along in this series is Tempe's personality. She quite often cannot control her "snappish" mouth, she over emotes in some instances and shows little to no emotion in others, she decides at random whether to rigidly uphold the law or blatantly ignore it and I do NOT understand why she is so wishy washy about the...more
What is beginning to bother me more and more as I go along in this series is Tempe's personality. She quite often cannot control her "snappish" mouth, she over emotes in some instances and shows little to no emotion in others, she decides at random whether to rigidly uphold the law or blatantly ignore it and I do NOT understand why she is so wishy washy about the...more
If you like the Bones tv series, this is nothing like it. Ok, so the tv series is based off of this author's books, but Temperance Brennen is nothing in the book like she is on the show. However that being said, while I'm a huge fan of the show, I also like the books. Basically, you have the anthropologist figuring out who the body is and who dun it, and throw in a little of her personal life and drama. They are engaging and enjoyable. Warning - she has no issue with swear words. This one actual...more
It's a couple of years since I read a Kathy Reichs novel, and the last one was one I didn't enjoy that much, so it was with a little hesitancy that I started this. Well, I needn't have bothered being concerned - she (or me, because it may have been my state of mind that caused the unhappines with that last one) was back to the great kind of story that I'd loved in all the former ones.
What did I like in particular about this? - I enjoyed the sparring between the ex-husband and the boyfriend, I en...more
What did I like in particular about this? - I enjoyed the sparring between the ex-husband and the boyfriend, I en...more
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Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A...more
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“Death in anonymity is the ultimate insult to human dignity.”
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